


throw me in the deep end, watch me drown

by redledgers



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Not Canon Compliant, ship chasing, vox machina fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 16:32:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8497396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redledgers/pseuds/redledgers
Summary: In the early morning hours, just as the sun starts peeking above the horizon and casting warm rays onto the darkened world, Vex wakes up feeling wrong.Vox Machina goes after Ripley when she kidnaps Percy from right beneath their noses.





	

In the early morning hours, just as the sun starts peeking above the horizon and casting warm rays onto the darkened world, Vex wakes up feeling wrong. It takes her a moment to scan their camping place, to count the bodies just beginning to stir, and she knows why—no one is on watch. She counts again: two humanoid (with Keyleth just starting to sit up), two gnomes, one goliath, and Trinket right beside her. The shock of white hair that she’s used to seeing in the dawn light is gone. She buries her fist in Trinket’s fur and he makes a disgruntled noise.

Keyleth looks over at her, startled at the noise.

“Keyleth, can you scry? Right now?” Vex is desperate as she wiggles out of her bedroll and all but collapses beside the druid.

“Good morning to you too,” she replies, rubbing her eyes. “Is everything alright?”

“Percy’s gone.”

Keyleth, ever the optimist, says, “Maybe he’s just doing his business, he’ll be back.”

Vex frowns. “You don’t feel like something is wrong? Please, Keyleth. _Please_.”

It’s the pleading that does Keyleth in. She slides out of her own bedroll and sits cross-legged on top of it, closing her eyes. By now, the rest of the party has woken, and even if they don’t understand what’s immediately happening, they’re watching Vex and Keyleth. A minute, two minutes…five minutes pass before Keyleth’s eyes shoot open and her jaw drops. She reaches and grabs Vex’s arm, digging her fingernails into the archer’s skin. “Ripley.”

The name is enough to jar everyone into motion, springing up and packing as quickly as possible. Vex sits for a moment longer though, staring at Keyleth, before she too prepares. The faster they can be off, the better chance they’re able to catch up to wherever she took him. Vex doesn’t know when he went missing, she doesn’t even know if Ripley magicked him away somewhere that’s impossible to get to on foot. There was time to ask Keyleth those questions later.

Luckily, later comes sooner than she thought. “They’re on a ship,” Keyleth says. “I don’t know where they’re going, but I know we need to get there.”

“How are we going to get a damn boat fast enough to catch up with them? The nearest port is at least a day’s travel eastward.” Scanlan crosses his arms. “Can you transport us onto a boat?”

Keyleth purses her lips, thinking. “We can mist there, find a small, fast boat, and catch up.”

“Fine! Fine, mist everyone,” Vex exclaims impatiently. “The longer we wait, the further she gets.” She doesn’t dare ask what else her friend saw, because if she was able to scry on Percy without Ripley noticing then they could be in for a long fight. Then suddenly she’s vapor and she’s following the mist she assumes is Keyleth eastward toward the coast.

Pike is the first to shift back, and Vex watches her use whatever knowledge she picked up on the sea to get them access to a fast boat. Vex happily pays the negotiated price (to the wonderment of her brother) and they all board a sloop guaranteed to travel faster than a larger ship. With some tips and a second scrying from Keyleth, Pike guides the sloop out of the harbor and onto the seas. A wind cantrip helps speed them along even faster.

Vex stands at the prow, fingers clutching tightly to the rail. She wants to vomit, cry, and scream all at the same time, but she resigns herself to quiet worry. She’s so engrossed in her own anguish that she doesn’t notice her brother come to stand beside her.

He presses his shoulder against hers. “Your braid’s a mess,” he says softly, shorthand that only they understand. She won’t fix her hair until they’ve found Percy. Keyleth says he’s still alive, and she can’t help but think he’s the bait and Ripley is setting a trap for them all. She moves her hand over just slightly to cover Vax’s. He’s solid and warm, and she’s grateful for his constant presence in her life. Part of her longs to let Percy fix her braid—he must know how from having sisters—but she knows the ritual shorthand between her and Vax better than she knows her own heart, and she won’t toy with that.

Pike comes up to her other side. “I prayed to Sarenrae,” she says. “We’ll find him in time.”

Vex smiles down at her. Pike’s faith was another constant that she tried not to take for granted. If she could have faith in something the way Pike did, she thinks she would be set for life. But that meant that even Sarenrae would have to be willing to redeem her past, and she’s not sure she’s worthy of that. Percy deserves that redemption more.

After a moment, Pike speaks again. “Scanlan gave me this for you.” She pulls a ring out of a pouch at her waist and hands it to Vex, careful to keep it inside the rail. “He got it for Kaylie, I think, but he thinks it’ll be used better in this situation.”

Vex takes it gently. “What is it supposed to do?”

“Apparently when you put it on and think of someone, a matching ring appears on their hand. I’m not sure about the magic, but it might give Percy some hope?” Pike shrugs. “It’s best you do it, anyway. It’ll probably work better.” She winks and disappears.

Vax side eyes her as she slips it onto her finger, testing the weight. She closes her eyes and thinks of Percy in his workshop bent over a new arrow, Percy with Bad News taking the final shot on some monster, Percy in the quiet moments before everyone falls asleep. Something warm blooms inside her, and she knows it’s worked. What she doesn’t expect is a sudden tug in her heart, as if the other ring is tugging its mate toward it. They’re heading in the right direction, but they’re a little off. She bolts off to Keyleth. “Can you adjust the wind so we’re going a little more North?”

Keyleth looks at her, confused for a moment before deciding its best not to question instruction. She increases the wind and the boat cuts through the water.

Vex knows they’re getting closer when the tugging is more insistent. She clenches her fist and holds it to her heart, closing her eyes. _Please, let him be alive, let him be whole, let us finish this once and for all_. The tug stops, the warmth leaves, and her eyes fly open. She’s just about to say something when she notices a ship on the horizon. They’re gaining on it, but she knows that if they can see it, then Ripley knows they’re close.

Anxiously, she debates popping Trinket out but he hates the ocean and there’s really not room on the sloop for a bear with a goliath on board already. Grog’s noticed the ship in the distance already, and he’s hefting the weight of his axe. All of them want to put an end to Ripley, but it’s only fair if Percy gets the last shot, and he understands this but won’t hold back. Keyleth slows the sloop just a bit and everyone takes a moment to recalibrate. They’ll go in guns blazing, find Percy, and take down Ripley. No one has to say it, they just know.

Vex gathers her bow and broom and looks to Vax, who’s about ready to pop out his wings. Everyone else can polymorph, and they’ll leave the boat drifting. She doesn’t want to be the call and looks to Pike to make it. The party looks at her, and she sighs, collecting herself. “Let’s go.”

Vox Machina launches out of the sloop, wings beating, and they aren’t surprised when they’re met by unfriendly fire from the ship ahead of them. Vex goes high and loops around. She pulls out her bow and shoots a flaming arrow onto the ship, hoping the wood would catch alight. If she is lucky, there will be gunpowder on board. But…it’s also a risk. She can’t see Percy and knows he must be below deck. Neither Ripley nor her meager crew can focus on all of the party at the same time, and Vex knows that they’re providing her with the opportunity she needs. She twists the ring around her finger once before diving to the deck, placing an arrow into Ripley’s shooting shoulder. Part of the deck has in fact caught alight, and she takes advantage of the burning wood to bypass the usual route to the lower decks and instead crashes through the wood. Ignoring the splinters and the pain in her knees, Vex looks around the dim interior.

She spots him now, a lifeless shape in the corner of a cell, chained up and probably unconscious. She’s not strong enough to drag him above deck and prays that someone else will land to help (she hears a thud and a laugh and knows Grog is having fun). “Percy?” she says, but it’s not loud enough and the sound dies before it makes it to him. Gods, if only she could pick locks as easily as her brother. Now at the bars, she fumbles with a hairpin, sticking it in the lock. If all else fails, she’ll use an explosive arrow. The pin breaks and she wants to scream. She selects the new arrow and aims it at the corner, where the cell bars meet the side of the ship. Maybe she can’t carry Percy, but she can help him stay afloat.

Wincing, Vex fires, blowing a hole that bends the bars and puts a hole in the ship. A little water seeps in, and she swears, ducking through the break in the bars and touches Percy. He jerks, a hand coming up to hit her, but it stops short, held back by manacles. Fuck. The only reassuring thing is the indent of a ring that had once been on his finger.

“Percy, it’s Vex.” He slumps back down at her words and she looks around. There’s no way Ripley would keep any sort of keys down here. She touches her earring. “Vax I need you below deck.”

Vax’s entrance brings a raging Ripley with him. Vex has moments before she can fire another explosive arrow at the woman without hitting Vax as well. He picks the locks and hefts Percy out the side of the ship, into the water. Percy sputters, and Vax dives out with him.

Ripley smirks, reloading her gun. “I should’ve known it would be you that would come to help him.”

Vex narrows her eyes, another arrow knocked. “We always come after our family,” she growls. She wishes for Trinket’s presence, Grog’s rage, and Keyleth’s power.

“Oh I knew you would all come but you, _Vex’ahlia_ , you’re special.” Ripley says her name with venom, and Vex fires, placing an arrow in her thigh. Ripley’s leg buckles but she grabs onto a barrel to stay upright. She responds with a shot to Vex’s abdomen. Vex can hear her friends over the earring, coming to help, can hear their voices echoing as they rush down.

If Ripley says something else, Vex doesn’t hear it. Vox Machina is now gathered, save Pike and Percy, weapons drawn. The last thing Ripley hears is the sound of a gunshot, and she drops. Percy stands behind her at the top of the stairs, leaning heavily against Pike. Vex can see Retort slipping from his grasp as his arm drops. Whatever adrenaline has kept her standing now dissipates, and she crumples to the ground, water lapping at her body. She feels hands wrapping around her, warm sunlight, and gods she’s still in pain, but at least she can sit up. The wound still leaks, it’s not a perfect job, but she’s grateful for it. Vax helps her up and she leans against his shoulder as the party figures out how to get from the ship to the boat.

Vax acquiesces to using the broom, and she holds tightly to him. As they prepare to take off, she catches sight of Percy, pale and damp, and smiles. He returns it weakly and mouths _Thank you, darling_ and then they’re gone, heading back to the small drifting boat. She doesn’t know if it’s because of her exhaustion but she wants to giggle because he called her darling despite the fact they both look like shit and he can’t have been in the right mind. But her stomach hurts too much and they’re almost to the sloop and she never wants to take this ring off because it led her back to Percy. And something about that, she muses as the sun begins to dip below the horizon, feels right.

**Author's Note:**

> title from Halsey's song "Hold Me Down"
> 
> Written based on a sliver of a dream my friend had about Pike and Vex going after Ripley after she kidnaps Percy.


End file.
